Sympathy
by I Prefer Periwinkle
Summary: What would happen if Ben's enemies were put into a situation where they were forced to care for Ben, instead of trying to annihilate him?
1. Chapter 1

"Let go of me!" Ben grunted, writhing around on the ground fruitlessly.

"Hold him down Khyber, it looks like we're going to have to sedate him." With a flash of red, Albedo's human form was replaced by a Florauna, or "wildvine" as Ben had dubbed the alien.

Khyber pushed down harder on Ben's chest with his large hand, while Albedo dug his roots into the ground. Two green tentacles resurfaced and wrapped themselves around Ben's wrists, successfully binding him to the ground. Ben attempted to squirm out of the grip his enemies had him in, twisting to the left and right as hard as he could, but to no avail. He was pinned. He didn't want to admit it, but he was scared. Two of his most formidable foes had him trapped, and judging by the looks on their faces, they were not planning to be gentle.

"What are you going to do?" Khyber asked, raising an eyebrow quizzically.

"We can't compromise his respiration by using an anesthetic gas, his lungs are already weakened," Albedo explained, gazing downward at Ben's chest which was struggling to rise and fall with each breath. "So we will need to resort to another method."

"Which is?" Khyber prompted his partner to continue.

Albedo morphed his right arm into one long tentacle, which he then began to snake underneath Ben's black t-shirt, and wind across his stomach and underneath his back. Immediately Ben's eyes widened and he arched his back in an attempt to get rid of the whatever he could feel slithering across his midsection. His breath came in panicked gasps as he once again began twisting his body from side to side.

"Relax Tennyson, this won't take long." Albedo said.

Khyber pressed down harder on Ben's torso, being careful not to apply too much pressure on the injured hero's ribcage. With his movements once again restricted, Ben had no choice but to comply, his fearful eyes darting back and forth between his two enemies. Albedo had gently wrapped the green tentacle around Ben's torso about four times, making sure to have covered his injured ribs. Albedo could feel his enemy's ribcage expand and fall with each panicked gasp, and he realized he needed to act fast before Tennyson began to hyperventilate.

A slimy liquid began to secrete from the Florauna tendril, which was then quickly absorbed into Ben's skin. Ben could feel his chest and stomach suddenly become covered in a liquid substance, and despite being absolutely disgusted, he began to feel drowsy. He was having trouble keeping up his struggles as his body was forced to relax, and his head fell back against the ground as his breathing slowed. Khyber raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"An effective method... What did you do?" Khyber asked, watching Ben's face as his eyelids slowly began to close.

"The Florauna's body contains an endless supply of an array of healing remedies, one of which being a particularly potent anesthetic substance." Albedo stated, watching as his enemy attempted to cling to consciousness.

Soon enough, the effects of the sedative overwhelmed Ben, and he gave into sleep. With a satisfied smirk, Albedo withdrew the appendage from around his enemy's slender torso, and he reverted back to his human form.

"His heart rate has slowed considerably." Khyber stated, his hand now resting lightly atop the unconscious hero's chest.

"Interesting." Albedo remarked. "I knew Florauna had strong medicinal capabilities, but I did not realize how strong until now. He won't be waking up anytime soon, Khyber, so we should get started." Albedo responded, looking up at his partner.

"...-king up by now."

Ben could faintly hear distant voices carrying on a conversation, but he was too out of sorts to comprehend what they were saying.

"It's not normal for him to be unconscious this long..." a voice continued, a hint of concern in their tone.

"Patience Khyber, give him time. That was hardly a small dose he received."

Khyber? Was Khyber in the room? Ben's eyebrows furrowed as he attempted to open his eyes. They opened to about a slit, before they closed again. He tried once more, but got the same result. Why was he so groggy? Everything seemed to be moving so slowly, as if he were underwater.

"His heart rate is picking up- Tennyson, can you hear me? Open your eyes now, it's time to wake up."

Ben tried for a third time to part his eyelids, and this time they opened to about half mast. He could make out two blurred figures, both of them looming over him. His whole body felt so heavy, like it were made entirely of lead.

He suddenly felt two cold fingers pry one of his eyelids open wider, then a blinding white light overtook his sight. He groaned in annoyance and slightly jerked his head to the side.

"Dilated pupils. Come on Tennyson, try to wake up for me." One of them said, gripping his shoulders and shaking him gently. That voice sounded familiar, too familiar in fact.

"What's wrong with him? Why is he so unresponsive?" He heard from his left.

"The sedative is working it's way out of his system." The other voice explained, this time on his right side. He was becoming more aware of his surroundings, his hearing became more defined and he could make out a red blur to his right. Suddenly he felt something rubbing hard in the center of his chest.

It rather hurt, and he automatically responded by arching his back and twisting to the side in discomfort.

"There we go, that's better. He seems to be responding better to stimuli." The familiar voice remarked.

Ben felt a little more control of his body now as he had less of a hard time opening his eyes. The two figures slowly came into focus, like adjusting the lens on a camera. Once he recognized the iconic red jacket, and the skull based armor of both Albedo and Khyber, he gasped and attempted to squirm away. Khyber once again firmly planted one of his large hands atop Ben's chest to immobilize him.

"Take it easy Tennyson we are not here to harm you." Albedo said with a sigh.

"Especially after all we went through to treat your prior injuries." Khyber added.

Ben's mind was still having trouble working through the fog it was shrouded in. He was so tired, he just wanted to go back to sleep. His head unintentionally dropped back down against the cool metal of the floor as his eyes began slipping closed. He was almost asleep when he felt the same pressure grinding into his chest plate relentlessly, successfully reviving him once more.

"Stop..." Ben mumbled, his face screwing up in pain. "I'll stop when you wake up." Khyber retorted.

Ben opened his eyes a little and lazily rolled his head to the side to gaze up at Khyber's face. The assault on his chest ceased.

"There," Khyber said with a smirk. "That wasn't so hard was it?" Ben blinked slowly in reply. Albedo clasped his hands behind his back and leaned forward.

"If you fall unconscious again, we may never be able to revive you. That's why you need to remain awake. At least for another few hours..." Albedo trailed off.

"How 'm I 'spose t'stay awake if 'm layin' down? 'M so tired..." Ben slurred, his mind barely managing to scrape together enough words to form a functional sentence. Albedo raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Perhaps you have a point, Tennyson." He said. "Khyber, why don't you help our little hero out a little?" Turning his attention downwards, Khyber slid a large hand underneath Ben's back and lifted him up, Ben's head lolling backwards. Once Khyber had Ben propped up into a sitting position, he brought his other clawed hand up and gripped Ben's jaw, gently shaking his head in an attempt to rouse him a little more. Ben groaned in discomfort and lifted his right arm to swat at Khyber's hand.

"'M awake 'm awake..." Ben slurred. "Take slow deep breaths, Tennyson. The oxygen will help to revive your brain." Albedo instructed.

Not wanting to fall back asleep and be at the mercy of his enemies once again, Ben obeyed. Khyber felt Ben's small chest expand as he slowly drew in the oxygen through his nose, his ribs expanding as he closed his eyes in the process. Albedo's eyes traveled downward to observe Ben's chest as it rose, satisfied the stubborn hero was listening to his instructions.

"Good, now slowly breathe out... and do try to keep your eyes open." Ben cracked one eye open as he willed his lungs to release the air they had inhaled, his body folding forward as he breathed out.

"Excellent, again." Albedo said, watching as Ben once again inhaled deeply through his nose. Suddenly Ben winced and choked out a soft cry, his breath harshly blowing out of his lungs in a short gasp as a sharp pain tore through his chest. Khyber reflexively brought his other hand up to support him so he didn't fall over, then he slowly lowered his prey to the ground, his eyes fixated on the young human's struggling respiration.

Ben's breath now came in short quick gasps, his eyes squinting closed in pain.

"Ah, it seems we need to take it easy on you." Albedo remarked as he rested his hand on Ben's right side. "Broken ribs take time to heal, even with magical aid."

Ben tried to focus on regulating his breathing, wincing every few seconds. He closed his eyes in an attempt to shut out his two enemies who were looming over him, watching him intently.

"I don't think we'll be able to move him just yet," Albedo stated as soon as Ben's breathing calmed. "But he does require rest, as do we."

"We can sleep in shifts, I'll watch Tennyson first and wake him every half hour." Khyber said, scooting back up against the wall so he could lean back against it.

"I am feeling tired, very well. Wake me when it is my turn to watch him, then in the morning we'll decide what to do next." Albedo replied, mimicking Khyber's movements by backing up against the wall behind him, then laying down on his side.

Albedo was asleep within minutes, Ben already having fallen unconscious as soon as his enemies' conversation had ended. Khyber gazed down upon the identical pair, alternating between watching Ben's chest rise and fall with each stuttering breath and Albedo's restless tossing and turning. As the minutes dragged on, Khyber's eyes began slipping closed. He himself was exhausted from chasing Tennyson around all day, and he couldn't help but feel safe to rest his eyes every few minutes. Eventually the hunter fell asleep propped up against the cold wall behind him, his snoring canceling out any other sounds in the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Waking up was a painful process, he felt sore all over from sleeping on such a hard surface. Propping himself up into a sitting position to survey his surroundings, he began to recall where he was and whom he was with. Albedo realized he was the first of the trio to awaken as he stood up and made his way over to the still form of his rival, who remained unconscious between his two foes. Once he knelt down to Ben's level, he was better able to hear the strained breaths coming from his enemy.

Placing a hand atop Ben's chest, he made note of the wheezing sound his lungs were emitting, as well as how difficult it seemed to be for Ben to take in a breath, as his ribs struggled to expand themselves. Turning his gaze to his enemy's face, he was clearly able to make out Ben's uncomfortable facial expression, as well as the pinkish tint to his cheeks.

"_Swell_," Albedo thought. "_Just swell. He's running a fever, and judging by that sound, he has also contracted a respiratory infection_…"

Albedo tilted his head upwards to seek out his accomplice, who, like Ben, remained dormant, oblivious to the fact that under their lack of supervision, their young charge grew weaker and weaker. Standing himself up, he briskly strode over to Khyber, gripping his shoulders and violently shaking him back and forth so that his head repeatedly connected with the wall behind him.

Jolting awake, Khyber swiftly jumped to his feet, forcing Albedo to stumble backwards a few feet. Khyber's expression was one of surprise, and he had unsheathed his large hunting knife and held it in front of himself in a defensive stance. Albedo's expression darkened, watching as his supposed partner in crime settled his eyes on him, waiting for him to make a move.

"Glad to see you've awoken, but I suffice to say the damage has already been done." Albedo remarked, turning to body to face Ben.

Khyber peered around Albedo to study Ben, watching for any movement that would indicate his prey was awake. Dropping his defensive stance, he slowly skirted around Albedo to make his way over to Ben. He stopped short once he heard the raspy sounds coming from the young boy's mouth. Kneeling down on Ben's left side, Khyber laid his ear down on top of Ben's chest, his head moving in unison with every breath Ben took. He could feel a small heart beating unusually fast, and he winced in sympathy when heard the painful sound of his enemy's weakened lungs as they attempted to draw in a sufficient amount of air. Albedo knelt down on the other side of Ben, watching as Khyber assessed Ben's condition.

"We both fell asleep, and we slept straight through the night. Tennyson has acquired a fever, as well as an infection in his chest." Albedo explained, observing Khyber as he slowly straightened himself once more.

"We need to rouse him, see if we can't reverse the effects of his fever. Let's just hope your foolishness hasn't cost us his life." Khyber spat, glaring at Albedo.

"If he makes it through this, you're going to wish you'd never said that," Albedo retorted, an obvious hint of malice in his voice. "However, right now we have other pressing issues. Come on, help me…" Albedo continued, trailing off as he began to work on awakening his indisposed enemy.

Returning to his former method of stirring his unconscious foe, Khyber made his hand into a fist, which he then placed in the center of Ben's chest. Grinding his knuckles back and forth into Ben's sternum, he hoped to elicit a pain response from his motionless prey. His efforts went unnoticed, as Ben remained still and unresponsive.

In a flash of red, Albedo had transfigured himself into that of the Methanosian species, or "Swampfire" as Ben labeled the plant-like form. Albedo lifted his hand up to Ben's face, hovering just above his mouth and nose. A steady hissing noise emitted from Albedo's green appendage as a green tinted mist made it's way out of the small opening in the alien's palm, which was then drawn into Ben's lungs each time he took a breath.

"What are you giving him?" Khyber inquired.

"A mixture of ammonium carbonate and eucalyptus oil. It will act as a natural smelling salt, hopefully arousing him to full consciousness. Just let him breathe it in for a moment, it usually takes a few minutes to take effect." Albedo explained.

After a moment, they were rewarded when Ben's expression changed from one of unconscious calm to mild discomfort as his senses began recognizing the stimulant. Ben's eyebrows creased and he tilted his head backwards in an attempt to distance himself from the foul smelling odor that permeated his nose, opening his eyes as he did so.

"Well good morning, Tennyson. We didn't think you were ever going to join us again." Albedo mocked as he transformed back into his human form. Ben brought his hands up to his face, rubbing his eyes as they refused to focus on anything. He felt uncomfortably hot, like he had been laying out in one hundred degree weather for hours at a time.

"Let's see how those ribs are doing, shall we?" Khyber asked, slipping both of his hands under Ben's t-shirt without warning. Feeling something cold and metallic make contact with his heated flesh so suddenly caused Ben to flinch, and he managed to scoot himself a few inches backwards before both of Khyber's hands clamped down hard around Ben's middle, effectively pinning him down.

Ben grunted as he brought his hands down to wrap around Khyber's wrists in an attempt to pry them away, but Albedo intervened before Ben's hands could make contact with anything. Albedo had quickly positioned himself above Ben, grabbing both of Ben's wrists and dragging them up to pin them on either side of his head. With Ben's hands out of the way, Khyber resumed his ministrations. He gently squeezed up and down Ben's sides, feeling for any bumps that would indicate broken ribs.

"No, don't… just, let go-" Ben stammered, trailing off as he realized he was being ignored.

His stomach muscles tensed as a defense against the onslaught, and his breath came in nervous shallow pants as he endured the light prodding, slightly arching his back and shifting his legs each time Khyber squeezed a little too hard. Ben's fingers tightly clenched Albedo's sleeves, tugging on them whenever Khyber failed to be tender.

Albedo glanced down at Ben's fingers, his grip never faltering. His expression softened as he realized how uncomfortable his enemy was, and how painful broken ribs must be on their own, without somebody antagonizing them.

"Shh- just relax and try to breathe normally, Tennyson." Albedo encouraged, leaning over Ben's face so he could make eye contact. Realizing he wasn't getting anywhere by struggling, Ben calmed his breathing and his muscles relaxed slightly as his eyes analyzed Albedo's face.

"Nothing seems to be broken," Khyber stated, sighing as he withdrew his hands out from underneath Ben's shirt. "But we need to watch that infection."

As soon as Khyber removed his hands from his skin, Ben let out the breath he had been holding as Albedo released his wrists. As soon as his arms were free, he wrapped his arms around his middle, not intending to leave himself open like that again anytime soon.


End file.
